On Fire
by EternalEcho
Summary: COMPLETE! Ginny becomes good friends with the new boy at school, but falls in love with someone else in a peculiar way. Ginny's diary entries every three chapters. R&R!
1. On Fire

**On Fire**

**Disclaimer and A/N: **Written below is a beautiful song by Switchfoot. It really inspired me to write this story; you'll see as you read that it goes along perfectly. I hate to have to put this as a whole chapter, but I didn't want to group it with any one chapter, since it relates to the story as a whole. Sorry this chapter is so boring, but I promise it gets better! So keep reading and don't forget to review.

They tell you where you need to go  
They tell you when you need to leave  
They tell you what you need to know  
They tell you who you need to be

But everything inside you  
knows there's more than what you've heard  
There's so much more than empty conversations  
filled with empty words

And you're on fire when he's near you  
You're on fire when he speaks  
You're on fire burning at these mysteries

Give me one more time around  
Give me one more chance to see  
Give me everything you are  
Give me one more chance to be near you

When everything inside me  
Looks like everything I hate  
You are the hope I have for change  
You are the only chance I'll take

When I'm on fire when you're near me  
I'm on fire when you speak  
I'm on fire burning at these mysteries

I'm standing on the edge of me,  
I'm standing on the edge of everything I've ever been,  
And I've been standing at the edge of me,  
Standing at the edge.


	2. Dear Ginevra

**Dear Ginevra**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything else.

_Dear Ginevra,_

_I found you today in the bottom of my trunk. I almost began to forget why I named you Ginevra. It seems like so long ago that I started this diary. It's really only been five years. Five years exactly since Bill gave you to me for my eleventh birthday. Now I remember that my Grandmum Ginevra died two weeks before my eleventh birthday and I felt like I should write to her in this diary so I would never forget her and how kind she was to me. She's the only person I can think of who did not tell me who I needed to be. She let me be myself, while still hoping that I possessed a little of her, besides her name, of course. _

_Today is September 11th - my birthday. I'm sixteen years old, and in my fifth year at Hogwarts. No one remembered my birthday, not even my boyfriend of five months, Dean Thomas. He's very sweet, but sometimes I begin to wonder why I'm with him. My mum has told me that at this age my relationships don't have to be "serious." I can't really accept that. But I just smile and say, "Yes, Mum, it's really just for fun." It's a good thing she has never met Dean. I'm sure she wouldn't approve of him for her "only wonderful daughter."_

_Last year, I finally got over my childhood crush on Harry. It lasted quite a bit longer than I expected it to when I look back, but then, Harry's a great guy. I won't ever forget how he saved my life back in first year. It all seemed to dissolve instantly when my first boyfriend, Michael, asked me out. I was so excited; I don't think I hesitated for one instant to answer him yes. Dean was the same way. Maybe that's one of my flaws that I should work on..._

_I'm going to try to start writing again, but for now I need to get some sleep._

_Ginny_


	3. Surprise!

**Surprise**

**Disclaimer:** Do I look like the genius that had the million dollar idea for Harry Potter?

-the next day

Ginny Weasley walked into the Great Hall and towards the Gryffindor table, her stomach growling at the thought of dinner. She had a slight smile on her face as she sat down next to her best friend, Bianca. Just as Ginny was scooping mashed potatoes onto her plate, the whole Gryffindor table, and a few others (who were not in Slytherin) shouted, "Happy Birthday, Ginny!" A spoonful of potatoes flew across the room as Ginny jumped up in surprise. Then she grinned and quietly said, "Thanks everybody."

As she sat down again, Bianca immediately asked, "So, were you surprised? Were you embarrassed? I think I would be embarrassed if the whole school was focused on me, but luckily, my birthday is in July, and we're always on holiday! Can you believe that Ron took the time to tell everyone that it was your birthday and plan out the signal and everything, just to surprise you? That was really sweet of him, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sweet," Ginny brushed a bit of red hair out of her eyes. She didn't seem quite as excited as everyone else.

"Well, you better not expect a party after this," Bianca continued eagerly. "We've already given you your surprise," she told Ginny, grinning wickedly.

"I was really, really surprised."

"I have my gift for you in my dormitory, so I'll give it to you after dinner."

"Okay. Thanks, Bianca."

Ginny noticed that Dean was coming over from a seat with his friends. He walked over and stood behind her chair, as if waiting for her to greet him. She was pretending like she hadn't noticed him and continued talking to Bianca. After a few moments, he leaned over and gave her a hug from behind.

"Hi, Dean."

"Hey Gins."

"Will you stop calling me that, please? My name is Ginny," she said, and smiled up at him.

"Well, I have to have some kind of nickname for you."

"Please, just not that. We can sit down sometime and decide on a good name together. How does that sound?"

"Whatever you say, Honeybun."

Ginny rolled her eyes- Dean was still behind her and couldn't see. She turned around to tell him goodbye, but he had already gone back to his seat by Seamus.

When they were all done eating, Bianca hurriedly told Ginny that she needed to have a word with someone, and she'd meet her in the common room. She then walked quickly past Ginny in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, her blonde braid swinging. Ginny decided to take her time and walked slowly after her friend.

As she was walking out the doors of the Great Hall, she heard a low voice from behind her.

"Weasley, why did you look so miserable at dinner? Didn't you like your surprise? I bet you never get that kind of attention at home."

"Go to hell, Malfoy."

"And I thought your mother had taught you manners. C'mon, tell me."

"Why should I tell you why I was miserable? No one else knows."

Malfoy paused, before he said quietly, "Wouldn't it help to tell someone?" in a kinder voice than any he had ever spoken in before.

"Well, the truth is, today is not my birthday- yesterday was."

"Well, happy late birthday, Weasley."

"Thanks. Well, I better get going- they're throwing me a surprise party."

He raised his eyebrows, smirking slightly, then turned and sauntered away.

Ginny's guess was confirmed as she climbed through the portrait hole. "Surprise!"

"Again!" added Ron.

"Again? Thanks, you guys," Ginny said, forcing a smile.

"We've got food and presents, Ginny!"

"Great, but I'm sorta tired, so I think I'll pass on the food and just get through those presents," Ginny said, while thinking _Didn't we _just _eat?_

She settled into a chair by the fire and pulled the stack of presents towards her. Without waiting for any instruction, she started ripping the sparkly purple paper off of a gift. Inside was a dark green winter scarf.

"That's from me, Ginny. I thought the color would complement your hair," said Hermione brightly.

"Thanks," Ginny replied. She was beginning to think that this might not be such a bad party after all... even though every single person present had forgotten when her real birthday was...

Next she opened a huge bag of prank candies and toys that Fred and George had sent from their shop. Ron gave her a book called Dreams of the Heart. It looked like a romance novel, and she wondered if Ron actually thought she read them, because she never had. Harry gave her an exact replica of a Golden Snitch. He knew that someday she wanted to be a Seeker. The Snitch circled around the room three times, but that seemed all it had the energy for, and it slowed down and landed back in the box.

After Ginny had opened all the gifts, Bianca ran up to the dormitory. She returned holding a gift with light blue wrapping paper. When Ginny ripped off the paper, she saw a beautiful necklace with mother-of-pearl beads.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Ginny cried. "Thank-you, Bianca," she murmured, enveloping her friend in a hug.

"You're welcome, Ginny," Bianca said.

After a few more minutes, Ginny thanked everyone for the presents and told them that she was going to bed.

As she was climbing into her bed, Ginny noticed a small package laying on her pillow. She picked it up and looked underneath for a card, or some sign of who it was from, but there was nothing there. She quickly unwrapped the parcel and saw the most magnificent gift she had received all night. It was a small box, midnight blue in color, with ornate carvings across the top. Ginny sat there for many minutes, staring at the box. It didn't appear to be a magical object of any sort, but it seemed to be putting an enchantment on her.

Ginny was beginning to feel very light headed when she heard someone coming up the stairs to the dormitory. She didn't feel like sharing the fascinating box with anyone just yet, so she quickly tucked it under her pillow.

Bianca walked into the circular room and sank down onto her bed. The party had gone on for a long time, even without Ginny, and everyone was very tired.

"Goodnight, Gin. Hope you had a good birthday," Bianca said, while stifling a yawn.

"Thanks, Bianca."

"Goodnight."

" 'Night."

But, tired as she was, Ginny didn't go to sleep for a long time. She couldn't stop wondering about that last gift. Who had given it to her? And what was it, exactly? Her mind eventually drifted to the conversation she had had with Draco, and she wondered why she was even giving it any more thought. He had always been a nasty bastard, she told herself, and that wasn't about to change. After finally making herself believe this, she fell asleep.


	4. Tryouts

**Tryouts**

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is not mine. However, the plot is original.

Ginny woke to find her dormitory empty. It was Saturday morning, and she had let herself sleep late to enjoy the dreams she had been having. She couldn't remember exactly what they were about, but she did recall a faceless boy in all of them. This same guy had appeared many times in her dreams. Although he was unrecognizable, she felt like she knew him. Ginny sighed as the figure in her mind drifted away. Telling herself that it was daft to love a dream man, Ginny rolled out of bed, pulled on some Muggle clothing, and went down to breakfast. She quickly found Bianca sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, talking to Harry and Hermione.

"Quidditch tryouts today," Harry said enthusiastically, as Bianca and Hermione rolled their eyes.

Ginny nodded, pulling a tray of muffins towards herself. "I know, I'm trying out for Chaser, remember?"

"Oh yeah. We'll see how your brother, the Captain, takes to you being on the pitch," Harry said around his own mouthful of muffin. "Angelina and Alicia are coming back today to handle the Chaser tryouts," Harry added. "Fred and George are back to do Beaters, and Ron is just going to supervise it all. I'll be doing reserve Seeker."

"Where is Ron?" Bianca asked, noticing the redhead's absence.

"Already on the pitch," Hermione answered. "He says he's getting ready, so who knows what he's up to. I can't keep control of him," Hermione joked.

Harry snorted. "Are you kidding me? Now that you two are finally going out, you've got him whipped into shape."

Hermione blushed. "You think?" Harry grinned and nodded. "Shouldn't you two be going on to the pitch?"

Ginny stood. "She's right, Harry. Let's go. Bye, Hermione. Bye, Bianca."

The two girls waved, and Harry and Ginny leisurely made their way down to the field, chatting about who was trying out for the team. As they neared the field they saw a small group of students holding brooms and talking nervously. Standing off to the side was a small boy in patched robes. He didn't have a broom, but he was tossing and catching a Muggle tennis ball.

"Hey, Harry, who's that?" Ginny asked quietly, gesturing towards the dark haired boy.

"I don't know," Harry answered carelessly. "I think he's that transfer student from Durmstrang. Don't know how he managed to get into Gryffindor."

Ginny nodded, but didn't have time to say anything else as Ron was striding over, followed by Fred and George.

"Ginny?" the new Captain said. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm trying out for Chaser," Ginny said brightly. Ron seemed about to protest, but she just pushed past him to hug the twins. "Hey, Fred, George. How's the shop?"

"Just fine and dandy," Fred grinned.

"Absolutely blooming," George added.

"Come on," Ron said, starting to walk over towards the group of students. "All right! Everybody, get in a line facing me and we'll begin!"

The students quickly formed a line, and Ron handed the first person a piece of parchment and quill. "Everyone write your name and the position you want on this sheet. Hopefully you already know that we have five places open. Four Chasers: two regular and two reserve. Both Beaters, and one reserve Beater. We also want a reserve Seeker since Harry gets hurt so often." Ron grinned at his best friend.

Ginny, who had been at the end of the line, wrote her name down on the sheet before quickly scanning it for the boy's name. 'Alistair Tobias' was the only name she didn't recognize, so she figured that was him.

"Here, Ron," she murmured, handing her brother the parchment.

"Okay," he said loudly, "Chasers go over to Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. Beaters over here with Fred and George, and reserve Seekers over by Harry."

Ginny walked over to the three star Chasers of last year's team. They all smiled and waved, recognizing her as the replacement Seeker last year after Harry had been banned.

"Hi, Ginny," Angelina said. "Ready to fly?"

"Aren't I always?"

"All right, does everybody have a broom?" Alicia asked.

"No," the boy named Alistair said quietly, stepping forward.

Alicia nodded. "All right. You can use a school broom. Accio Cleansweep!" she called. A broom came flying over and she deftly caught it and handed it to Alistair.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Katie mounted her broom and called for everyone else to do the same. Soon, everyone was high above the field, warming up by throwing the Quaffle. Ginny easily caught the Quaffle and threw it towards a girl who was examining her fingernails. When the girl missed, the boy named Alistair zoomed after the Quaffle and managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Good catch," Angelina called as Alistair threw the red ball on to another boy. Ginny noticed that he blushed at the praise. Ginny examined Alistair with a critical eye, watching the Quaffle at the same time. Angelina was right. The boy was a natural, and looked to be in perfect form. Ginny just knew he'd make the team. Now if only she could be as lucky.

…………………………..

"You, you, you, and you," Katie said, pointing to Ginny, Alistair, a fourth-year girl named Renée, and a boy Ginny's age named John.

Ginny and the others took back to the air, leaving those who didn't make the team looking disappointed. Two of those flying now would become the new Chasers, and two would become reserve Chasers, a new idea Ron had had.

Alicia beckoned to the students on brooms. "Now we're going to try scoring some goals against Ron. We'll try it two at a time with one of us to make a set of three."

During the first mini game, Ginny and Renée played with Katie Bell. Ginny caught the Quaffle every time Katie passed it to her, and she managed to make six goals out of ten past Ron. Renée didn't do as well, and made only three goals. When the three girls landed, Ginny and Renée went to the stands to watch the two guys' final tryout.

John, Ginny's friend from Charms, made only five goals. Ginny was feeling confident about getting one of the spots, but her moment of triumph was interrupted by Alistair's tryout. He was an amazing flyer; he caught every one of Angelina's passes, and made all but one of his possible ten goals. He had an incredible way of making the Quaffle dart around Ron, who was quite a skilled Keeper. As Alistair made goal after goal, Ron's face lit up in reverence and excitement for his team.

When all the flyers returned to the ground, Ron motioned everyone to follow him to the locker rooms. There, he told the anxious players that he would consult his helpers and post the results in the common room within the next day.

………………………………

The next morning, Ginny woke up early to check the message board. She saw no one in the common room, and was amused that she was the first person up. To her disappointment, the only Quidditch notice on the board was the old one saying,

_**We're out of players! If you have flying skills, and would like to be a part of Hogwarts' greatest team, please sign up for tryouts.**_

Ginny laughed out loud at Ron's house pride. "Now that's a bit of a biased opinion," she chuckled to herself.

"I agree," came a voice from the tallest armchair.

Ginny quickly turned and saw the Durmstrang boy, Alistair, sitting with his arms folded across his chest.

"I thought I was the only one up," Ginny said, a little disheveled by this unexpected company. "And how did you even know what I was talking about?"

"Because, I did the same thing moments ago. I think I'll wait here until they post the results," Alistair said.

"Oh, come on, you know that you made the team," Ginny said, surprised by his modesty.

"Why do you say that?"

"You were better than anyone out there, including Angelina, Alicia, and Katie."

"You think?" Alistair asked, looking shocked by her compliments.

Ginny nodded her head vigorously. "Well, if you're staying here, I hope you don't mind my company. _I_ actually need to stay and see the results."

Alistair shrugged silently. Ginny sat down in a chair across from his. After a few moments of silence, Alistair spoke. "I really want to be a part of the team. I don't know what I'll do if I don't have Quidditch."

"You're still not convinced?" Ginny was getting annoyed with how modest this guy was. "Of course you'll make the team! Did you see my brother's face after your tryout?"

Alistair shook his head. "Ron is your brother?"

Ginny gave him a funny look, and pointed to her fiery red hair.

"Yes, well, of course _you'll _make the team," Alistair said.

"What's that supposed to mean? Ron may be biased to Gryffindor, but he _is _fair. Besides, he doesn't even want me on _his _team." Ginny frowned. She hadn't thought of this before; Ron decided who made the team, and he didn't like sharing his pitch with her. She hoped her brother _would_ be fair.

Once again, Alistair looked at her and shrugged. After a few more minutes of silence, Ginny tried to be friendly. After all, Alistair would be one of her flying partners if she made the team. "So, Alistair, uh, what are you interested in studying?"

Alistair gave her a funny look. Ginny noted that he did that a lot. "I'm studying mainly Herbology and Divination. I'm going to be a botanist."

"Why Divination?" Ginny asked. She had never heard of anyone wanting to seriously study this branch of magic.

"Divination is fascinating," Alistair said, again shrugging.

"Have you been to a Divination class here yet?"

"My first one is in three days."

"Well, wait and see what you think of the Divination professor."

"All right!" Alistair said, jumping out of his seat.

Ginny frowned, then realized the source of Alistair's enthusiasm as Ron walked into the room and over to the message board. He was grinning, apparently pleased with the choices, as he tacked up a bright red piece of paper.

Ginny felt a pang of nervousness as she followed Alistair to the board. Their eyes both flew over the paper, which read,

_**Attention everyone! After much thought, the positions for the Quidditch team have been successfully filled...**_

_**Reserve Seeker: Bridget Gagnon**_

_**Beaters: Sean Stone and Darryl Bridwell**_

_**Reserve Beater: Ralph Roberts**_

_**Chasers: Alistair Tobias and Ginny Weasley**_

Ginny squealed and jumped up and down when she saw her name. Alistair just grinned. After their moment of triumph, they went back to read the rest of the notice.

_**Reserve Chasers: Renée Lepic and John Boyd**_

_**ALL PLAYERS (INCLUDING RESERVES), MEET ON THE FIELD AT 4:30 THIS FRIDAY FOR OUR FIRST PRACTICE.**_

"Well, I'm going down to breakfast," Alistair said. "See you at practice, I suppose."

"Alright. Bye, Alistair."

"Bye, Ginny."


	5. New Ideas

**New Ideas**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

-Friday morning

Ginny was sitting on her bed, holding the mysterious birthday box. She had been trying to think of something special to keep in it, but had come up with nothing. Ginny had also gone through everyone she could think of that could have given her the unclaimed gift, but no one made sense. Her parents could never afford anything so fancy. All of her friends had given her gifts already. Dean was a possibility, but if he had gotten her anything that nice, he would have taken credit for it. She could think of no one else who could actually be the mysterious gift-giver. After carefully tucking the beautiful box into her drawer, Ginny went to breakfast.

As Ginny was eating her eggs and oatmeal, and talking to Bianca, Alistair Tobias walked in and sat down beside her. Ginny was expecting him to say something, but he didn't say a word. She went back to talking to Bianca.

"So, anyway, you said you're parents are getting a div-"

"Ginny! Bianca whispered warningly, "Now's not the time to talk about private matters!" she said, unnecessarily pointing to Alistair, blocking her finger with her other hand.

Ginny knew that Alistair could hear them perfectly well, but he didn't seem to mind Bianca's opinion of him. Ginny decided that she didn't object to him being there. "It's okay, Bianca. Alistair's all right," Ginny whispered, mimicking her best friend's tone. "Just keep talking."

Bianca gave Ginny a furtive glance, but nevertheless, continued what she was saying. "So, anyway, my parents haven't been getting along for a while now. Then, the day before school started, they got in a big fight. Before I left, they told me that they weren't going to get a divorce, but yesterday my mum sent me a letter saying that she was moving into an apartment! What am I going to do, Ginny?" Bianca was looking like tears would spill out at any moment if Ginny didn't say the right thing to comfort her.

"Bianca, it'll all be fine. Even though your parents are splitting up, they will still love you. You'll just have to see them at different times, that's all," Ginny said consolingly.

"But Ginny, you don't understand," Bianca's tears were still threatening to flow. "I'm the kind of person who is supposed to have two parents."

Ginny imagined what it would be like if her parents divorced. This thought made her shudder inwardly, and for the first time, she understood what her friend was going through. She spoke again, this time wholeheartedly trying to comfort Bianca. "Well, you'll adjust, and then you'll be the kind of person whose parents just aren't together anymore. I'm so sorry this is happening to you, Bianca," Ginny said, giving the blonde girl a quick hug.

Ginny had forgotten that Alistair was sitting on her other side, but suddenly, he spoke. "If I may offer my wisdom in this matter," he said, making Ginny and Bianca turn to look at him. "My parents divorced when I was eight years old. You can probably imagine how confusing it all was for me at such a young age. Only to be made so much worse two years later." Alistair suddenly stopped talking.

After a few moments of silence, Bianca whispered to Ginny, "Was that story over?"

Ginny shook her head, confused and worried by the desperate look on Alistair's face.

Bianca and Ginny stared at the dark haired boy for several more minutes before he seemed to snap out of whatever had affected him. "But what I'd like for the blonde-haired girl,"

"Bianca," Ginny told him.

"Yes. What I'd like Bianca to realize is that life goes on. Divorce is sad, but you just need to remember that your parents still love you, they just no longer love each other."

Bianca smiled. "Thank-you, Alistair. That really helps."

"Not a problem," Alistair said, turning back to his half-eaten breakfast.

………………………………...

Later that day, Ginny caught up with Alistair walking to the Quidditch pitch.

"Alistair, that was really nice of you to share your experiences with Bianca this morning. She really appreciated it, and I did too. She's been cheerful all day."

"It's not often I get to offer help to pretty blonde girls," Alistair said. Ginny laughed.

"Looks like we're the last people to show up for practice," Alistair commented as they joined the group of students standing in the field.

Everyone was talking happily when Ron's red head emerged from the dressing rooms. He took big strides over to the congregation, then spoke in his I'm-in-charge voice. "Now that we're all here, we can begin. Sean, Darryl," Ron gestured to the new Beaters, "why don't you go get the trunk." The two heavy-set guys walked away from the group. "Everyone else have a broom?"

Alistair quickly said, "I don't." Ginny was surprised to see her new friend looking so embarrassed.

"Not a problem," Harry said. "Accio!" he cried, summoning the school's best broom. A Nimbus 2000 flew through the air to Harry. Alistair gratefully took the broom. Harry leaned in towards Alistair and quietly said, "I'll talk to Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch to see if you can have this broom." Harry had seen Alistair's flying abilities and had thought he at least deserved his own broom.

"That would be wonderful," Alistair whispered back. He was rather taken aback by famous Harry Potter's kindness and generosity.

Sean and Darryl had just returned, each carrying one end of the trunk containing the four Quidditch balls. Ron took charge once more. "Okay, team, today I just want everyone to get a feel for our new team. Practice working together and communicating while you're in the air. When we begin I want Chasers to come with me to the left end hoops. Harry, you and Bridget can practice with the Snitch anywhere you want. Sean, Darryl, and Ralph, when everyone else is gone, let out the Bludgers. And I don't want any injuries, so keep those things under your control, all right?" Ron now had the Quaffle under his left arm. "At my whistle everyone will land by the trunk. Now, let's get good, people!"

At those words, Ron kicked off the ground, and rose on his broom into the air. Ginny quickly caught up with him and said, "You make a great Captain, Ron."

"Thanks, Ginny," Ron said. His ears were brighter red than his hair.

………………………………...

Gryffindor team's first practice was well under way. The five Chasers, Katie, Alistair, Ginny, Renée, and John, were beginning to pick out each other's skills and weaknesses. Katie, who had the most experience, led the group. Renée and John were weak in making goals, but they were just reserve players for now. Ginny was weak in finding an open teammate to pass the Quaffle to.

At one point, Renée and John were defending when Ginny had the Quaffle. Both of her teammates were flying very close to her, totally preventing her from passing the ball to Katie or Alistair. Finally, in her moment of desperation, Ginny dropped the Quaffle. She cringed and shut her eyes, not wanting to watch the Quaffle hit the ground. But instead she heard a happy yell from Ron as Alistair swooped beneath her and caught the Quaffle. Ginny opened her eyes to see Ron beckoning the Chasers to the ground.

"That was bloody brilliant, Alistair!" Ron exclaimed.

"Thanks," Alistair replied.

"We can use that technique in the games!" Ron said happily. Everyone agreed that it was a wonderful tactic to use when opponents got too close to whoever had the Quaffle. The only problem was, at this point, only Alistair could safely pull such a stunt safely. During their next practice they would all try to learn how to do it properly from Alistair.

On the other side of the field, Harry was teaching Bridget how to find the tiny Snitch while zooming through the sky. Harry was a little resentful of training his replacement player, but he did agree with Ron. Having reserve players was a good idea. Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Ron's whistle, calling the players back down to earth.

When everyone landed back at the trunk, Ron had a big smile on his face. "I think we got in some good practicing today. Next practice will be on Wednesday, same time, same place. You're dismissed!"

The excited team walked together back to the castle, carrying brooms over their shoulders.

……………………………

That night, Ginny took her treasured box out from the drawer. She had decided what she would keep in it. Ginny took out a sheet of clean parchment and ripped off a thin strip of it. Then she took out her quill and carefully wrote **_My Family _**in her fanciest script. Then she folded the strip in half and placed it into her Gratitude Box. Each night she would write down one thing that she loved, and whenever she felt down, she would take out her box and remember all that she had to be grateful for. However, it was not part of her plan that someone else, half a castle away, would also be reading every piece of parchment.


	6. Dear Ginevra 2

**Dear Ginevra**

Disclaimer: You know the drill... I do not own Harry Potter, and I'm certainly not making any money off of this story.

_Dear Ginevra,_

_The birthday ended up okay. Everyone had me a big surprise party, one day late. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone that they had all got it wrong. So unless they realize their mistake, my birthday is now always going to be on the 12th. Well, except for on one person's calendar... I ended up telling the least likely person to actually remember the date next year- Draco Malfoy. Looking back on it, I don't know why I told him. He has no right to any personal information about me. What in the world possessed me that day?_

_I made the Quidditch team! We've had one practice so far, and it was great. My fellow Chasers are Katie Bell and Alistair Tobias. I can't wait until out first game! Hopefully it will be against Slytherin... they're the most fun to beat. Honestly, if Slytherins weren't so nasty to everyone, maybe the whole school wouldn't hate them. Well, I don't want to fill my diary with musings about Slytherin politics, so I'll stop there._

_Ginny_


	7. From Ginny to Draco

**From Ginny to Draco**

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Harry Potter, and you can't give him to me either

Draco Malfoy walked into his empty dorm. He had just come from Quidditch practice

where the Slytherins were trying to train their new players. The practice had been very frustrating- Slytherin's Captain, Montague, seemed to have picked people with the least amount of skill to be a part of their team. In Draco's opinion, they needed a few prodigies if they wanted to win back the Quidditch Cup from the Gryffindors. Especially now that the Gryffindors had that guy from Durmstrang who was supposed to be so great. What was his name? Oh yes, Alistair Tobias. Very dark sounding name, Draco thought. How the hell did that guy end up in Gryffindor? He should have been put in Slytherin. His skills would really help the team. If he was even any good.

As Draco lay on his four poster bed, his thoughts eventually wandered to Lenore Merrill, his newest love interest. Of course, he really wasn't interested in love. Love was not for Slytherins. The very word was made for emotional Hufflepuffs or sickeningly good little Gryffindors. So what should he call Lenore? The victim of his attentions? Yes, Draco thought, that exactly what she is. That pretty girl was made just for my pleasure.

…………………………….

Ginny nearly ran away from the Great Hall and up the many flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room. She wanted to be the first one in her dormitory so that she could conduct her nightly ritual in peace.

First, she pulled out her piece of parchment and her quill. Then, Ginny ripped off a strip of the already ripped up paper and wrote, **_Friends like A.T. _**Ginny jumped off her bed, still holding the tiny strip and walked over to her mirror. The mirror had a border with tiny painted roses. Ginny loved this mirror because it had been Grandmum Ginevra's. Holding the strip in front of her with both hands, Ginny stood before her mirror and said, "I am grateful for friends like Alistair Tobias." To complete her ceremony, Ginny took out her Gratitude Box and placed the paper inside.

…………………………..

Draco was still lying on his bed when he saw a bright flash of light coming from inside the drawer of his bedside table. Very curious, he opened the drawer and began rummaging through everything. The light did not continue, so there was no way of knowing what had caused it. Draco was about to give up and close the drawer when his eyes fell upon a dark blue box he had received for his 15th birthday. Draco had obsessed over that box for many weeks after it had appeared on his bed. He had no idea who had given it to him, but he had eventually forgotten about it.

Now, the mystery of the box took over him, and he pulled it out of the drawer. He opened the lid, and to his surprise, saw many tiny strips of paper. Who has been in my personal stuff? Draco thought, already getting mad at any and all of his dorm mates.

Draco picked up a strip of paper and read **_My best friend, B.S. _**What in hell? Draco thought. He quickly read he rest of the strips. They all said things like **_House elf chefs at Hogwarts_**,**_ My Family_**, **_Dumbledore_**, and **_Friends like A.T._**

For a long time, Draco sat, staring at his box and at the unfamiliar handwriting of whoever was now using it as their box. Not knowing what else to do, and as there was no one there for him to interrogate, Draco decided to write back. Taking quill and a strip of parchment, he wrote **_Keep your bits of paper out of my box! _**After writing this message on both sides so the culprit couldn't miss it, he closed the box and returned it to the drawer.

…………………………….

Ginny and Alistair sat in the Gryffindor common room, playing a game of Wizard's Chess. Bianca sat at a nearby table, finishing her homework. It was Saturday night, but only a few students remained in the common room.

"So, Alistair, what's it like at Durmstrang?" Ginny asked.

"It is very different from Hogwarts," Alistair replied.

Ginny had learned to take his frugal answers, although she always wanted to know more.

"Did you know Victor Krum?"

"Yes, I did. Why?"

"You know my friend Hermione?" Alistair thought for a second, then nodded. "She dated him for a while two years ago."

"Really? When did he dump her?"

"She dumped him, actually."

"Why?" Alistair asked.

"I think it was because she was already in love with Ron."

"That is very surprising."

"What is? You didn't know that Ron and Hermione are together?"

"No, I've just never heard of a girl not wanting to be with Krum. He is so famous that he usually ends up dumping girls because they're so in awe of him."

Ginny giggled. "Wish I had that problem."

Alistair gave her a startled look, then said, "No, you don't. We're much better off the way we are."

"So, we're the same?" Ginny asked, playfully.

"Yes," Alistair's face was dead serious, "we're both hopeless losers."

For a second, Ginny looked defiant, then she shrugged her shoulders and said, "You're right. It's still you're turn, by the way," she added, turning her attention back to the chess board.

"Oh. I almost forgot we were playing," Alistair said, while contemplating the board.

Just as Alistair's knight knocked down one of Ginny's pawns, Bianca's book slammed shut.

"Well guys, I'm going to bed. Have fun, and tell me who wins in the morning."

"Alright, sweetie," Ginny said, "Goodnight."

"'Night, Bianca," Alistair said.

Bianca blew both of her friends kisses, and trotted up the stairs.

After Ginny moved her bishop, she looked thoughtfully up at Alistair. Then she spoke, "What happened two years after your parents divorced?"

"What? How did that suddenly come up?"

"I've been thinking about it ever since your weird silence at breakfast the other day."

Alistair sighed. "I never open up to people."

Ginny stared at him, wondering if that was his way of answering difficult questions. Curiosity still strong, Ginny said, "You can trust me Alistair. I never really open up to people either. Well, except for the Dark Lord, but that's a long story." Alistair gave her a disbelieving look. "I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours," Ginny bargained.

Alistair considered this for a moment, then finally agreed. Ginny told him the whole story of her tragic first year at Hogwarts. Alistair listened very intently, and when she was done, he sat silently for many minutes.

Eventually, Alistair spoke, "I suppose I must share with you now. Fine. When I was ten years old, Voldemort was gathering a lot of followers throughout Europe. My father became one of them. He moved up in Voldemort's ranks pretty quickly, but my father is the type who wants to be the best. He wanted to be Vodemort's right hand man. I still don't completely understand how or why, but my father sacrificed my mum to Voldemort. I knew that he didn't love her after they got divorced, but I can't rationalize why he would want to kill her. He didn't even end up with the 'promotion' he wanted so badly."

When Alistair stopped speaking, Ginny stared at him in astonishment. She didn't know what to say. She felt like crying for Alistair's tragedy, and she was mad at herself for bargaining her story to get this out of him.

"Am I the first person you've told?"

"Yes," Alistair replied, staring at the immobile chess pieces.

"I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry that happened to you. And if my friendship will help you at all, I really want to be your friend."

"Thank you, Ginevra."

"How did you know that was my name?" Ginny asked, surprised.

"Just a guess," Alistair said. "Now, are we going to finish this game, or just go to bed?"

"My vote's for sleep."

"Me too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Alistair."

As Ginny made her way to the dorm, she thought again about Alistair's sad past.

Damn Voldemort, she thought with the uttermost hatred. Even when he's closest to defeat, he still wins. His goal is to cause us all pain, so really, he's already won, Ginny thought. Usually she could appreciate good irony, but she was in no mood for it now.

Ginny was about to collapse miserably onto her bed when she remembered her Gratitude Box. Perfect time to use it, Ginny thought as she snatched it from its usual spot. She sat cross legged on her bed, reading her precious strips and trying to feel genuinely grateful. The she picked up a strip that wasn't in her handwriting. It read, **_Keep your bits of paper out of my box!_** Ginny stared at the paper, completely confused.


	8. Understanding Gained

**Understanding Gained**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything else of any value.

**A/N:** From now on, I will put Draco's 'messages' in** _bold italics_,** and Ginny's in _plain italics_.

Ginny went to bed on Saturday night feeling totally confused about the new message in her Gratitude Box. In the middle of the night she woke up and, not knowing what else to do, wrote back to the message.

……………………………

Draco led Lenore Merrill into his empty dormitory. He had insured their privacy that night. Crabbe and Goyle would sleep anywhere for a couple of pies, but the other guys insisted on money. But Draco didn't mind- his father gave him enough money, and it was Draco's choice how he wanted to spend it.

Draco had a kind of pseudonym for every girl he had ever been with. Pansy had been called Wind. She was forceful and strong, but not very intimate- like the wind. But wind comes and goes very quickly.

Delilah, who was blonde and beautiful, he'd called Cloud. Her virginity made her timid, and her responses were thin and wispy. Despite this, she had an enormous effect on him that could produce thunder storms.

Blaise had been named Water. Lithe and fluid, she had filled every space between them. Although Water had been his most enjoyable experience, he had had to end things between them. Draco sometimes still regretted it, but it had been necessary. Blaise had fallen in love with him, and love was an unwanted element in Draco's relationships.

After Lenore had fallen asleep, Draco lay awake, contemplating what he would call her. Wet Leaf would be highly appropriate, Draco thought. Although Lenore had seemed dark and lovely, in bed she had been dull and inactive. She had barely done anything, Draco thought, almost angrily. But Wet Leaf, however fitting, would not be a name added to Draco's list. He _did _have a reputation to keep up. To the other Slytherins, Draco was Dragon, as his name actually suggested. And Dragons did not associate with Wet Leaves. Lenore will just have to be Maple, Draco decided.

As Draco lay there, he again saw the flash come from his drawer. This time, he jumped out of his bed and jerked open the drawer. But he wasn't fast enough for the instantaneous blink of light. Suddenly getting an idea, he pulled out his little box and looked inside. Sure enough, a new message lay on top of the messy stack. It simply said, _This box is _mine.

Draco took his paper and quill and began writing. When he was done, his rather large slip of paper said, **_I think something strange is going on. I'm sure that my box is mine, and if you also have a similar box, I believe they are somehow connected. Whatever you put in your box in transported to mine, and vice versa. Also, see if you notice a flash of light before something new appears in your box. _**

Draco could barely believe what he was writing. He seemed to be the owner of some mysterious magical object. Draco grinned as he lay back down beside Lenore.

……………………………..

Sunday morning, Ginny woke up feeling very unsettled. She was aware of a vague feeling of sadness, and also a very strong curiosity. All at once, the events of the previous night came back to her, and she went quickly to her drawer. Ginny pulled out her box, and took a deep breath before opening the lid. Draco's message was the biggest paper in the box, so Ginny was very quick in picking it out, sure of finding the answers to all her questions.

After reading Draco's theory, Ginny responded by writing, _This is all very hard to believe, but then, there are always surprises in the magical world. Your theory must be right, but I'm going to do a test. Along with this message, I'm 'sending,' _At this point, Ginny looked around her room, desperate for an object to send. She considered one of her rings, but decided that she might not ever get it back. After a few minutes of searching, Ginny had an idea. From her bedside drawer, she pulled a long, skinny box. Then she returned to her message. _I'm 'sending' three red beads. Write back and tell me if you received them._

Ginny reread her message for clarity, then firmly put the lid on the box.

………………………………

Draco had just returned from walking Lenore out of his room. Draco had made himself a general rule over the years. Girls that he did not want to see again, he would walk out. His manner would let them know that he was no longer interested. For girls he liked, he would just give them a kiss goodbye and let them find their own way down the stairs.

Now Draco went to his drawer and rummaged through until he found a green journal with silver trim. His mother had given it to him for his 13th birthday. Shortly after, he had began his list of who he had been with. After writing **_Maple_** at the bottom of his list, Draco looked proudly at how long the list was becoming. Silently blessing his good looks and subtle Slytherin charm, Draco closed the journal and returned it to the drawer.

Just as he was closing it, Draco saw that it was indeed his birthday box that had caused the light flashes. Draco watched the box glow momentarily, before picking it up. As he removed the top, his eye was caught by spots of red amongst the shreds of paper. After reading Ginny's message, he fished through the paper and pulled out the three red ceramic beads. Draco wrote back, **_Your test worked. I have also confirmed that the boxes, well, at least mine does, flash when something is coming in. Those beads were beautiful. So my correspondent is a girl, eh? Well, I'm glad we reached an understanding. _**

Draco quickly reread his message, and realized that he had never really used the word 'beautiful' before. Then he thought of something very interesting. He could be anyone he wanted to be through these messages. As he closed the box, Draco thought, I could definitely have some fun with this.

………………………………

Ginny and Alistair were. They were something. They were something very interesting that makes readers want to review. Okay, sorry, I'm having writer's block. On with the story.

Ginny and Alistair were sitting outside, enjoying the first day of October. They had about an hour of free time before Quidditch practice, and they chose to spend it by the lake, sitting on top of a large, flat rock, that was halfway covered with leaves.

Ginny had brought some of her homework to do, but the sunshine and soft leaves were making her feel very drowsy. So she laid flat on her back, using her open Charms book to

shade her eyes.

Alistair sat beside her, looking thoughtful. After a few moments, he spoke. "Ginny, have you had any problems with Draco Malfoy?"

Ginny moved her book slightly so she could see Alistair. "Yes, I have. Most Gryffindors have, actually, and most are still having problems with Malfoy. What'd he do to you?"

"He's been ridiculing me for being poor."

Ginny sat up and stared at Alistair. "I didn't realize you were bad off. Ha. Something else we have in common."

Alistair gave her a slight smile, then said, "I just hate being poor. And I hate people that think that just because they have more money, they should be allowed to make fun of 'lesser' people."

"I totally agree."

"Do you think he's in with Voldemort?" Alistair asked.

"Well, I know his father is, so I wouldn't doubt that Draco is too."

"Just makes me hate him more."

"I know." Ginny was thoughtful for a moment. "You know what my mum says?"

"What's that?"

"She says that hatred is like drinking a poisonous potion and waiting for your enemy to die."

"Hmm. That is true. But I don't think it's stopping me from hating anyone who doesn't hate Voldemort."

"Me neither," Ginny laughed.

"Well, we should probably head over to the field now," Alistair said.

"Alright." Ginny began gathering up her books and her broom. "Alistair, did Harry ever see if you could have that school broom?" Ginny asked, now understanding why her talented friend didn't already have a broom of his own.

"Yes he did. I don't know how he managed it, but Professor McGonagall gave me the certificate of ownership and all," Alistair grinned. "My first broom."

Ginny held up her own and said, "My first broom, not its first owner."

Alistair gave her a sympathetic smile. "We really are in the same situation."

Ginny nodded.

By this time they had arrived at the Quidditch pitch where Harry and Ron were already flying around. When the two guys saw Ginny and Alistair arrive, they waved and landed.

"Hi guys," Ginny said. "Are we the first ones here?"

"Yes," Ron replied, "The rest of the team better be here soon though."

Alistair pointed to the front of the castle and said, "Here they come now."

When everyone was present, they started practice. The team was getting very good. Ginny was truly impressed by how quickly they had all improved, but Ron was more critical. At the end of their fifth practice he had said, "We might be almost up to the level of last year's team. We'll just have to keep working to get better."

The Chasers had the hardest part, and so they practiced extra hard. Alistair had taught his swoop-and-catch tactic to all of the other Chasers, and while he was still the best at it, most of the others had gotten pretty good.

When Ron's whistle announced the end of practice, the whole team gathered on the ground to hear their Captain's comments.

"Nice work everyone," Ron began. "As you all should know, our first game is on October 15th - exactly two weeks from today. We'll be playing Hufflepuff, so it should be a nice trial for us. We've just got to practice hard until then! Thanks, everyone. You're free to go."

Ginny and Alistair walked back up to the castle with Katie, Renée, and John, their fellow Chasers. When they got back to the common room, they all found chairs and settled in to talk for a while. Harry and Ron joined them, and they all talked about Quidditch, which was always a popular topic. Ron had just brought up his favorite team, the Chudley Cannons, when Hermione returned from the library.

"Are you talking about the Cannons again?" Hermione teased, as Ron pulled her down to sit next to him.

"Yes, I am. But I won't if you don't want me to," Ron said, kissing Hermione sweetly.

"No, it's fine, Ron. Don't let me tell you what to do."

"Why not? I always have before."

Hermione scowled, but everyone else laughed.

As Ginny watched Ron and Hermione, she thought about how happy she was that they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. But after a while, she began to feel a little nauseated by how cute they were together, and how much she wanted that for herself. Ginny told everyone that she was going to bed, and made a quick escape to her dormitory.

Ginny laid down on her bed for a few minutes, then decided to get up and check her Gratitude/Mail Box for messages. She picked up Draco's message and read **_Your test worked. I have also confirmed that the boxes, well, at least mine does, flash when something is coming in. Those beads were beautiful. So my correspondent is a girl, eh? Well, I'm glad we reached an understanding. _**

Ginny laughed to herself as she wrote back, _Yes, we certainly did reach an understanding. And you also understood something about me. So, I take it my correspondent is a guy? Write back._

Ginny laid back on her bed with the box resting on her stomach, in hopes that her pen pal would write back soon. After a few minutes, Ginny saw for the first time the flash of light that meant she was receiving a message.

_**You assume correctly. So, tell me more about my mysterious message writer. Are you at Hogwarts too? I'll at least tell you that much about me.**_

_Yes, I am at Hogwarts. I don't really know what else I can tell you about me, as I am very paranoid of unknown people. But I would like to keep talking..._

_**So would I. Is there a name I can call you? It doesn't have to be your real name if you're still paranoid.**_

_Fine, you can call me Fire. What can I call you?_

_**Fire. Sounds interesting. I'll have to think for a while before I can answer your request. **_

_All right, well, is there anything else you can tell me about yourself, O Mysterious Man? Can I call you that?_

_**Sure, but how about OMM for short? Well, I'll start by telling you about this box of mine. I got it as a gift for my 15th birthday. It's dark blue with little etchings in the top, and it sends messages to an enigmatic girl named Fire.**_

_That is so weird- I received mine for my 15th birthday as well. And your description matches my box too. We must have gotten them from the same person. Who gave you your box, OMM?_

_**That's the thing, I don't know who gave it to me. It just appeared. **_

_Okay, now I'm really getting creeped out. The same thing happened with me! Tell me, OMM, do you believe in fate? _

_**You've got to be kidding me... This is all so strange. I've always heard that fate works in mysterious ways, but this is just too unlikely. **_

_I agree. Well, OMM, I'm going to bed, but I'll talk to you in the morning? _

_**Okay. I'll have a name for you by then too. OMM is just not very flattering. **_

_All right, I can hardly wait. Goodnight, OMM._

_**Goodnight, Fire.**_


	9. Girl Talk and an Accusation

**Girl Talk and an Accusation**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's characters.

"This is so unfair!" Ginny exclaimed as she took the stairs two at a time. "Why doesn't Alistair have to come to history of magic?"

"He completed his requirements at Durmstrang," Bianca replied.

Ginny grinned at her blonde friend and said, "I know that, dear. Rhetorical question."

"Oh, right," Bianca said, swishing her hair in front of Ginny's face.

When they reached Binns' classroom, they slowed to a walk and took a few deep breaths so their haste wasn't obvious. They took their seats and smiled at each other; they had made it on time.

Just a few seconds later, Professor Binns swooped into the room and began his monotonous lecture.

Ginny had a good grade in history of magic. She liked history; she just preferred to learn it on her own. Therefore, Binns' class always gave Bianca and Ginny a chance to talk.

"So, Ginny, is there something you wanted to tell me about a birthday present or something?"

Ginny gave her friend a startled look. She hadn't mentioned anything about her mysterious gift. She had actually decided to keep it to herself- at least for a while. But despite Bianca's lack of common sense, she occasionally showed signs of being a mind reader, or a seer.

"Did I mention that?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, it's been on your mind," Bianca replied, smiling mischievously.

"Ah," Ginny said, pursing her lips.

"So, are you going to tell me or not?"

Ginny quickly made up her mind. Why shouldn't she tell her best friend? "Alright. On the night after my birthday, when I went upstairs after the party, I- "

"Whoa. Wait a second. What?" Bianca interrupted.

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

"You said on the night after you birthday, after the party. We had your party _on _your birthday."

"Oh." Ginny was silent.

"Ginny?" Bianca said, when it was apparent her friend was fully enthralled with Binns' lecture.

"Okay, Bianca, my birthday is on the 11th. I guess everyone just forgot."

"Are you serious, Ginny? I am so so sorry. It really is on the 11th? I feel so bad. Why didn't any of us remember that? Are you positive it's not on the 12th?"

Ginny nodded. "But you know what? It's fine. Don't make everyone feel bad about it. Just make sure you remind them next year, okay?"

Bianca nodded. She looked so remorseful that Ginny gave her a reassuring hug. And Ginny wasn't usually a very huggy person.

"So, Ginevra," Bianca began, "you were telling me about that gift."

"Right you are, B-I-anca."

"Hey! That's mean!"

"Need I remind you of what we just discussed?"

Bianca blushed and said, "You're right, I am a bitch."

Ginny smiled agreement then said, "Don't worry. I doubt I'll use B-I-anca very often. It's kinda cheesy, don't you think?"

Bianca nodded, and was about to say something when Ginny said, "Of course, I could call you by your initials: BS."

"Oh, bullshit! You wouldn't actually do that," Bianca said, laughing.

Ginny laughed with her, then stopped when she remembered that they were in class. She tapped Bianca on the arm and pointed to Binns, who hadn't seemed to notice their laughter.

"So, _anyway_," Bianca said, "tell me about the gift. Now!"

"Right. Well, that night, when I went up to the dormitory, there was a little box lying on my bed. There was no indication of who it was from. I started using it to keep bits of paper where I wrote down what I had to be grateful for, to read when I get sad, you know?"

Bianca nodded.

"Well, since then, I've found notes in the box from someone who seemed to think it was their box. So, to make a long tale short, we finally figured out that this guy and I have identical boxes. And last night we just wrote back and forth for a while."

"Gin, what did I tell you about making long stories short? It's not a good thing to do! I want details!"

Ginny sighed, and told her story in greater detail.

"Wow," Bianca said when she was through. "This is amazing! Who do you think he is?"

"I don't know," Ginny said. "I call him OMM for O Mysterious Man."

"Let's hope he's a man. He could be an eleven year old. Or, he could be eighty!"

"No, he already told me that he got the box for his 15th birthday. So he's at least fifteen. And he told me that he was at Hogwarts, so he can't be eighty."

"He could be a professor at Hogwarts. You can't really be sure, can you?"

"No, you're right. But you know what? It almost seems like it could be-"

"Who? Who?" Bianca said, grabbing Ginny's arm.

"No, never mind. It's stupid."

"Now, Gin, you know the rule. If you bring it up, you have to bring it out."

Ginny laughed. They had made up that rule in their second year. "True. I suppose I can't break the rule now."

"You most certainly can't."

"Fine. I was going to say that it almost seems like it could be… Alistair."

"Oooo," Bianca's eyes got big. "Could it be?"

"Who's to say it couldn't?"

"Ginny you _have _to ask him!"

Ginny immediately cringed, then said, "You know, I could do that. I could talk to Alistair."

"And it'd be better for you to know whether or not it was him. If you didn't ask him,

you'd be thinking of your box buddy as him, even if it wasn't."

"You're absolutely right. I'll talk to him tonight."

"Yes! And you'll tell me afterwards, right?"

"Always," Ginny replied. Bianca gave her a funny look, so she said, "What?"

"Well, you weren't even going to tell me about the box..."

Ginny winced then said, "Sorry. But you forgot my birthday!"

"Forget about both and call it even?" Bianca suggested.

"Sounds perfect," Ginny agreed.

Bianca kissed the palm of her own hand and held it out. Ginny grinned. Completing another tradition from when they were twelve, Ginny kissed her own hand, then shook Bianca's.

For a while, Ginny and Bianca just talked, mostly reminiscing about their childhood years together. Professor Binns was letting them out of class before they knew it.

After dinner that night, Ginny asked Alistair if he wanted to go for a walk on the grounds. He agreed, and Bianca caught Ginny's eye and winked.

When they were outside, Alistair spoke. "It's still warm in this country. In Bulgaria, we would've already had snow."

"Really? I like snow, but I have to have October for the leaves!" Ginny said, skipping, and crunching those under her feet.

"Yes, they're very colorful," Alistair said. "In contrast to Durmstrang's snow white grounds."

"Hogwarts will be beautiful when it snows too."

"Mmm. So, how far are we going to walk?"

"Well, I have something to ask you."

"Ask anything. I may or may not answer."

Ginny took a deep breath, then said it before she could change her mind. "Are you the owner of the other message box?"

Alistair gave her such and unreadable expression, she was sure that the answer, if he ever came out with it, would be affirmative. However, when he finally spoke, all he said was,

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but no, it's not me."

"Oh," Ginny said, pulverizing the unfortunate leaf under the toe of her boot.

"Well, would you enlighten me anyway?" Alistair asked, oblivious to her chagrin.

"Sure. We can walk around the lake," Ginny said.

As they did so, Ginny told him briefly about the box and its mysteries. She didn't go into detail about her talk with OMM like she had with Bianca. They had just enough time to make it around the lake, and Ginny had told all she was going to tell.

"Well, should we head back inside?" Alistair suggested.

"Yes," Ginny said. "And Alistair?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone about my box, okay?"

"As you wish," Alistair said, giving her a little bow. "But only if you promise to tell me who your correspondent is when you figure it out."

"As you wish," Ginny repeated, and curtsied. Alistair laughed.

They entered the castle in silence, and left each other to their thoughts all the way to the common room. Ginny remembered her promise to Bianca, and told Alistair goodnight.

When Ginny walked into her dormitory, Bianca popped off her bed where she had been bouncing a moment before. "So?" she said after running over to Ginny.

"It's not him," Ginny said.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Gin."

"Hey, don't be sorry. I never said I wanted it to be Alistair."

"True. But didn't you?" Bianca asked with a knowing look.

"No, not particularly. Alistair is a good friend; I wouldn't want to complicate things."

"Oh. Okay," Bianca said. Then she put her arms out and 'flew' back to her bed. Their

dorm mates, Bridget Gagnon and Sally Connolly, looked up from what they were doing and gave her a funny look.

"Bianca?" Ginny said, fighting back a laugh, "Did you drink too much coffee, or something?"

"Oh, no, I'm just in a good mood!" Bianca exclaimed, continuing her bouncing.

"Er... right. Well, you'll know what I'll be doing if you need me. If OMM is in, that is..."

This time it was Ginny's turn for weird looks from Sally and Bridget. But Ginny didn't care. She was also in a good mood as she got out her box.

_OMM, are you there?_

_**Right here, Fire. And you can stop calling me OMM.**_

_Oh, really? Well, do you have another name for me?_

_**Yes.**_

_Well?_

_**Riddle me this: I'll follow you around all day long, never saying a word. And in the dark of night, I'll disappear.**_

After reading the word 'Riddle,' Ginny had to take a moment to calm her beating heart. Then she set her mind to the puzzle.

Draco was surprised at how quickly she got it.

_I hope you're not really like that, Shadow._

_**Oh don't worry.**_

_So, what are you like?_

_**Why do you ask?**_

_Well, otherwise, this would be a complete waste of time, and paper._

_**Well...**_

_And ink._

_**I see your point.**_

_So?_

_**All right. I'm charming.**_

_That's apparent. Is that all I get?_

_**One fact a night?**_

_How about three?_

_**Five.**_

_You just bargained up._

_**I know.**_

_An interesting Shadow... So, what's fact number two?_

_**You have to give me fact number one.**_

_Alright, I'm female._

_**Well, I already knew that.**_

_You didn't set any specifications._

_**Ahh, then I know something else about you- you're cunning.**_

_That was hardly cunning._

_**But you are, Fire. I can sense it.**_

_Thank you. Second fact?_

_**I am... smart.**_

_I see. I am not an only child._

_**I am an only child.**_

_Did you ever want any brothers or sisters?_

_**Yes, I've always wanted a sister.**_

_How old are you? Answer honestly._

_**Sixteen. I know you're at least fifteen... how old are you?**_

_Fifteen._

_**Alright, that's not a bad difference.**_

_I would've died if you had said eighty or something._

_**Not yet, thankfully. Fact number three, baby.**_

_I'm afraid of swimming in the ocean._

_**Understandable. That's a lot of water for one little Fire.**_

_Who said I was little?_

_**Younger equals littler. It's just the way it is.**_

_Fine. I still need two more facts from you._

_**I come from a pure blooded family.**_

_Ahh, that narrows it down a bit. So do I._

_**And my last fact... I'm enjoying this.**_

_Is that a fact?_

_**Yes.**_

_Okay._

_**You owe me two more facts.**_

_One more._

_**No, two.**_

_I told you I'm female, not an only child, afraid to swim in the ocean, and also from a _

_pureblood family. One more._

_**Fine.**_

_I love cats._

_**Alright.**_

_We're done with five facts!_

_**Yes.**_

_Now I have a question for you._

_**Yes?**_

_Why do you think we were both given these boxes?_

_**Ahh. The one question I've been asking myself since we met.**_

_Have you come up with anything?_

_**Fate?**_

_I don't think I believe in fate._

_**Neither do I.**_

_Yet that's our only explanation._

_**Ironic, eh?**_

_Very._

_**Have to go. I can hear my room mates coming.**_

_Alright. Talk to you tomorrow?_

_**Can't wait. Bye.**_

_Bye, Shadow._


	10. Dear Ginevra 3

**Dear Ginevra**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any characters that you already recognize as belonging to JK Rowling. I do, however, own a few originals in this story.

_Dear Ginevra,_

_Life at Hogwarts has been great lately. Quidditch is much fun, as usual, and we have our first game in a week and a half. _

_I broke up with Dean. I don't know why. Well, yes I do. But I'm not sure if it's a good reason. It's partly because of another guy. A guy I've never met. Okay, here's the whole story- in brief... I don't feel like writing it all out. _

_So, this beautiful box showed up on my bed the night after my birthday. I still have no idea who it was from, but it seems like the sort of gift that had been predetermined to give to me when I turned fifteen. I decided to use the box to write down what I was grateful for. But Shadow and I discovered that his box and mine automatically convey whatever's placed in them to the other's box. For a few nights now, Shadow and I have been writing back and forth through the boxes._

_It's not a very good reason, right? But I just can't get Shadow out of my mind, and it almost makes me feel like I'm cheating on Dean. I couldn't do that to him, even though I don't really care about him. We just had nothing to talk about. We always had these empty conversations filled with empty words. We had nothing in common; and I know that they say that opposites attract, but there most definitely was not any attraction anymore. If there was ever any to begin with. Shadow just has so much more appeal to me..._

_When I talk to him, I just can't understand how I ever lived without him to speak to. It's like I've always known that there was something better out there, but I never really thought I'd find it. My own expectations were low. I think they have been ever since the first man that I really loved turned out to be Lord Voldemort. No one knows that I loved Tom. They all think that he had me under some sort of curse. No. I fell in love with Tom. I will always love the Tom that only I knew. _

_And that's another thing that makes me feel even more stupid! I'm falling in love through paper, again! How did I let this happen? Didn't I learn my lesson the first time around? I suppose not. It's the same thing again, and it could definitely become a problem if I don't deal with it now. And I know I should do something about it, I just don't want to. Is that so bad? _

_Moving on to more news. The Sorensens, Bianca's parents, are getting a divorce. They've probably already gotten one- Bianca hasn't really kept me updated. So Bianca has been sad lately. Except for sometimes when she's really hyper. She's a weird one, what can I say? Alistair and I have been trying to comfort her. Hopefully it's cheered her up a little. Honestly, there are worse things in the world than divorce. Want me to name a few? No? All right._

_Well, here's one anyway. It was already part of what I had to record. Alistair's father sacrificed his ex-wife to Lord Voldemort. Isn't that terrible? I feel so bad for Alistair, and when I'm not thinking of Shadow, I can't stop thinking of that. Alistair hasn't mentioned it again since the day he told me, but I think it did help for him to tell someone. He and I have become very close, and I'm very glad. I've never really had a guy to talk to. Unless you count Tom Riddle. I can't decide if I do. I guess you could say that I've always had plenty of brothers to talk to, but I don't really count that either. Bill and Charlie are so much older that they never really discussed anything serious with me. Percy always told me what to do. Thank the powers that be that he's not still at Hogwarts! The twins are great fun, but you could never even dream of discussing anything meaningful with them. At least I couldn't. Ron is so close to my age that I think he sees me as more of a nuisance than anything else. But I feel like if I ever needed anything, I could go to Ron and he would help me out. He's just a sweetie like that. I couldn't be happier for him and Hermione! _

_Sorry, I was really rambling there. But I guess that's what diaries are for. Well, that's all of my news for now!_

_Ginny _

**A/N:** Sorry that the diary chapters are always so short! But it has become a good way to kind of tie up loose ends. And I was able to reconnect with the song, which is originally why I wrote this fic. If you didn't catch the references, you should go back to chapter one and reread the song. "It's the same thing again, but it could become a problem if we don't deal with it now," comes directly from the song "Whatever's Left" by Snow Patrol. I didn't intend to use that, I just wrote it and then realized that it was a lyric. So I'm giving the credit due. Could you all do me that favor of reviewing, even though it is short?


	11. The Shadows You Cast

**The Shadows You Cast**

**Disclaimer:** I can wish it all I want, but I'm not yet a published author, therefore, I do not own Harry Potter

October 15th-

The Gryffindor Quidditch team sat together in the locker rooms, feeling confident about their first game. Ron had made them train pretty hard, and all the Chasers now knew how to do Alistair's drop-and-dive technique. The weather looked ideal for Quidditch, as Ron had cheerily told them all at breakfast, and they were ready to show off their new team.

Dean, who was commentating, called out the names of each of the Gryffindor players as Ron, Harry, Sean, Darryl, Katie, Alistair, and Ginny emerged from the locker rooms. Ginny felt a pang of guilt as Dean's voice wavered on her name. But the feeling was quickly swept away, as if by the wind, when the whistle blew and fourteen broomsticks flew into the air.

This must have been the quickest game in history, Ginny thought as her feet touched the ground not even a minute later. Harry had caught the Snitch almost immediately; no one had even had a chance to score. Alistair and Katie also seemed disappointed that they weren't able to show off their new skills. At least we won, Ginny thought, not feeling very excited.

Ron, however, was not even pretending to be happy. Ginny cringed as she watched her brother shout at Harry. Although Harry was a humble guy, he was yelling right back. He didn't think that he had done anything wrong. Technically, he had just done his job as Seeker. Ginny felt a bit sorry for Harry- even the spectators seemed to be angry with him.

One Ravenclaw girl yelled as she walked by, "Nice going, Potter. We came all the way down here to watch a game, and we didn't even get to see any action!" Then a third year Gryffindor joined in saying, "Yeah, I don't care if you're an amazing Seeker, at least let the others have a chance!" Harry looked very embarrassed, and walked quickly into the locker rooms.

Ginny followed him, and tried to make him feel better. But she knew her efforts were useless. He would sulk until he and Ron were friends again. They didn't get into fights often, but when they did, both were miserable to be around. Ginny said goodbye to Harry and walked with Alistair and Bianca back up to the castle.

"Well, that was... fun," Bianca began, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yep, I've got one Quidditch game already under my belt," Ginny smiled.

"Hardly," Alistair said, chuckling. "But you know what? It's all right. Harry _is _a great Seeker, and we won our first game without any effort whatsoever. But he won't always catch the Snitch that quickly, and next time, we'll have a better opponent to try out our techniques."

"That's true," Ginny said, brightening up a little. For all that Alistair was a dark and traumatized person, he could always cheer her up.

………………………………

Draco hadn't gone to the Quidditch game. He had no desire to watch Potter and friends defeat the Hufflepuffs. He had better things to do, and while over three quarters of the school was at the Quidditch game was a perfect time to do it. So Draco told Crabbe and Goyle that he'd meet them at the Quidditch pitch, and headed off to the library.

Draco had just pulled a book off the shelf entitled Enigmatic Enchantments and How To Recognize Them, when he heard students talking in the corridor outside the library. He found this rather annoying, since he needed the time to do some private researching. Why weren't these people at the game? Only Slytherins skipped Quidditch, and Slytherins never came to the library...

Draco started towards the door, glancing back at Madam Pince as he did so. She didn't seem to notice that he was about to carry a book out of the library. Draco stopped when he heard one of the voices say something familiar.

"Yeah, ... five facts... talked for hours."

Draco quickly made practicality overrule his initial reaction, as you were trained to do in Slytherin. Those people could have been talking about anything- any five facts. There was no basis to believe that one of those people was his Fire. And yet... his body seemed to be leading him towards the hallway, as if his mind had already made the decision to investigate. But he stopped himself just before he reached the door. He knew that when he saw who was out there, one of them would involuntarily become Fire. A very unsafe assumption to make. So instead, Draco walked as quickly as he could to the furthest corner of the library. There he could safely listen in on the conversation and then decide if he wanted to see what he was hearing.

"So, Alistair, why did you want to come to the library?" a voice Draco didn't recognize asked. Alistair is on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Draco realized. The game is already over? Are the people he's with also Gryffindors?

"Just wanted to catch up on some of my homework for this weekend. I didn't think I'd have time to finish it all, but since the game was so short..."

"That must have been the shortest game in the history of Quidditch," another unrecognizable voice said.

"Yeah, well, Harry really is an incredible Seeker," said the first female voice. Draco decided that this voice must also belong to a Gryffindor. "But enough about Quidditch! You two talk about it all the time!"

"But Quidditch is the single most important thing in my life!" the voice Draco knew to be Alistair's exclaimed.

"You know I love Quidditch too, but I don't know if I can make _that _statement," the second female voice said. "Let's just work on these essays and get them over with."

"Good idea," said Alistair.

For a while, Draco didn't hear anything, so he took the time to begin reading his book.

"_So you think you've come across an enigmatic enchantment, but you haven't the slightest what it is. Well, you've found the right book!" _

Draco rolled his eyes and flipped to the title page to see just what author was wasting his time. 'Albus Dumbledore' it said, and Draco smirked. Didn't know the old loon had written any books, Draco thought. Ah, well, perhaps I'll discover something anyway, Draco thought as he found where he had left off.

"_Perhaps your mother has been acting unexplainably strange, or maybe a certain corridor unaccountably leaves you in tears... or perchance you've come across a mystifying magical object. Well, I am here to help you fully understand what's going on when weird things start to happen."_

Ah, so Dumbledore's mere presence explains all bizarre situations, Draco thought drolly.

His thoughts were interrupted when the second female voice spoke again. "I didn't finish telling you about five facts."

"Oh yes, you mentioned it earlier, and I was very curious. Do tell us," said the other female.

"Well, Shadow and I came up with this game where we tell each other five facts about ourselves per night. We learn new things about each other while skirting around any information that might reveal our identities."

"Do you want to know who he is?" Alistair asked quietly.

"Yes and no. The secrecy makes it all so... surreal. But I can never stop trying to figure out who he is. And even though I may be making a big mistake, I want to meet Shadow and see if we'd ever have anything... real."

"I know exactly how you feel," the other girl said.

"You do?"

"Oh, well, I guess I don't, actually. But you explain it so well, I understand how you must feel."

"Oh, right. Okay, let's get back to work."

Draco now knew that Fire was right around the corner, but he decided that he didn't want to identify her just yet. So he read for a while longer, waiting for the Gryffindor trio to leave. While he waited, he found some valuable information in Dumbledore's book.

Finally, he heard Alistair, Fire, and their other friend get up and leave. Draco gave them a few minutes of a head start, then checked out his book and left the library.

……………………………

_Shadow, you there?_

_**I'm here.**_

_Ready for five facts?_

_**Yes, you go first.**_

_All right. This is getting difficult... 1) I like to play Quidditch. 2) I don't have a favorite professional team. 3) I've been to the World Cup. 4) I would like to be a Seeker. 5) I am not a virgin._

_**Wow, and I thought you were giving me all useless Quidditch facts. **_

_Quidditch isn't useless! But I had to make it a bit interesting._

_**Well, you succeeded there.**_

_Thank you. And I hope now I deserve some noteworthy facts from you? _

_**Ah, but you can't give only because you expect something in return.**_

_I suppose not._

_**But I'll try my best... I also play Quidditch, I am a Seeker, I almost always go to the World Cup, I'm not a virgin, and you're a Gryffindor.**_

_All very noteworthy. But how did you know the last one?_

_**Not sure if I'm supposed to tell you that...**_

_I figured as much. You're certainly remarkable, Shadow._

_**Yes. But Shadows cast by Fire-light always are.**_

_That was lovely. So it's me that makes you this way?_

_**You bring out a side of me that's not always revealed.**_

_This poetic side?_

_**Yes, and more.**_

_I feel honored._

_**As well you should. I discovered a few things about enigmatic objects today.**_

_Oh, really? Anything explaining these boxes?_

_**Not completely. But I'll tell you what I did find out. Dumbledore says that when pureblood witches and wizards are born, it is traditional for friends and relatives in the wizarding world to give the baby some kind of gift... Sometimes this gift will be a promise for a gift you will receive later in life, like on a certain birthday.**_

_You went to Dumbledore? Well, that all helps a little. But it still doesn't explain everything. Is it just coincidence that we were both given the same 'enigmatic enchantment' on the same birthday? What are the odds of us both receiving boxes that allow us to talk to each other by magically sending bits of paper?_

_**No, I didn't go to Dumbledore- I read it in a book he wrote. But it sounds like our gift-giver was the same person, and that they had a reason for giving the same gift to both of us. Who do we know that knows both of our families?**_

_Well, that's going to be kind of hard to determine, since I don't know who you are! _

_**True, true. You're smarter than you look, you know.**_

_That's quite a compliment coming from a person who has never seen me. _

_**Do you think I will ever see you?**_

_I don't know... I'm still very paranoid of meeting unknown people. _

_**Still?**_

_Ah, yes. That would be another thing I can't tell you..._

_**Damn. So I suppose you can't tell me who your first lover was either?**_

_Er... no. I definitely can't tell you that. Would you tell me yours?_

_**She was Wind.**_

_Wind... was she in your house?_

_**Yes... I've never branched outside of... my house.**_

_I don't get to know what house that is, do I? We're running out of things to talk about while still revealing who we are. Would it be so bad if we knew?_

_**Inter-house relationships never really work very well. **_

_I didn't say we had to have a relationship... would we still continue to talk when I know who you are?_

_**That kind of depends on who you are.**_

_Great. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight._

'**_Night, Fire._**

……………………………….

The next evening, Ginny and Bianca left History of Magic to meet up with Alistair on their way to dinner. When Alistair arrived in the entrance hall, he drew Ginny and Bianca close to him and quietly said, "Ginny, I think I know who Shadow is. And you're not gonna like it."


	12. Truths Revealed

**Truths Revealed**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

Alistair quietly said, "Ginny, I think I know who Shadow is. And you're not going to like it."

Ginny frowned, took a deep breath and said, "Who?"

"Our beloved Draco Malfoy."

Ginny cringed, and glanced at Bianca to catch her reaction. The blonde girl looked simply horrified. "Are you sure? How do you know?" Ginny asked.

"I overheard a group of Slytherin guys in my Divination class talking about Draco's light-up box. Apparently he's been trying to hide it from them, but they've noticed." Alistair paused and frowned. "They said he's been messing with it for hours every night."

Ginny now had her head buried in her hands, red hair making a curtain that covered her face. Her friends tried to comfort her as she moaned, "No, no, no! How could I be so stupid? Why him? Not just a Slytherin... one of the worst Slytherins! What is wrong with me? You think I would've learned my lesson after falling in love with the worst Slytherin there ever was!"

Bianca and Alistair exchanged bewildered looks, trying to deny the obvious. They would have to discuss that comment with her later. Then Bianca had the sense to lead Ginny in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Ginny was still in hysterics, and when they tried to seat her in an armchair, she pushed them away and ran up to her dormitory. She returned a moment later, holding her box. She ran towards the fire, and was about to throw it in when Alistair stopped her.

"Ginny, don't. This box was given to you for a reason," he said, handing the box to Bianca for safe-keeping as he pushed Ginny into a chair.

"Hey, Ginny, what's this?" Bianca said, pulling a bracelet out of the box.

"Let me see that," Ginny said, still looking wide-eyed. Bianca hesitantly handed her the bracelet, no doubt worried that she would fling it into the fire. Ginny scowled at her friend and examined the bracelet. She immediately recognized the three red beads that she had sent to... Draco... as a test. Between these beads were smaller topaz ones, and the rest of the bracelet was strung with smoky quartz. Ginny slipped the bracelet on her wrist, and fought back the tears that were threatening to flow. Then she looked up and said, "Was there anything else in the box?"

Bianca handed her a folded piece of paper and said, "You can read it first."

"Thanks," Ginny said as she unfolded the parchment. It read:

_Fire,  
The bracelet is a gift to you. And as another manifestation of the poetic side you bring out in me, the beads are symbolic. You've probably already figured it out, but your red beads and the yellow topaz are for you- Fire. The smoky quartz look shadowy for me- Shadow.  
And on a more serious note... I regret what I said about inter-house relationships. And I don't care who you are, as long as you're still Fire. You said you've been to the Room of Requirement? Meet me there tomorrow night at 10:00.  
Shadow_

Ginny handed the letter to Bianca, who was joined by Alistair looking over her shoulder to read. When they were done, Ginny said, "What should I do?"

Bianca looked thoughtful, but Alistair spoke right away. His face was livid, although he kept his voice calm and quiet. "Don't go. Look how he treats you, Ginny. You can't be with him."

"But... Shadow treats me differently. He's the only person I've ever known who treats me this way."

"Shadow is just a name for a quill that writes enchanting things. It's not real. Malfoy is real. And Malfoy is a Dark wizard who ridicules others until they despise him. You're looking for love in a person incapable of anything by hatred."

Ginny didn't say anything, but just let tears run silently down her cheeks. Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked into the Common Room, laughing happily. Obviously, Ron had forgiven Harry after the Quidditch game. When they saw Ginny, they rushed over and started asking what was wrong. She didn't really want to tell them, at least not yet, so she signaled Bianca and Alistair not to say anything. After awhile, they gave up and went to their own corner of the Common Room.

Ginny was done crying, and she now had a defiant look on her face. "I will go meet Draco. Shadow at least deserves that much, I think."

Alistair looked about to protest, but Bianca laid a hand on his arm to quiet him. Then she looked at Ginny and said, "Would it help if you told us about this other Slytherin you loved? It might help you handle your meeting with Draco..." Bianca trailed off, not sounding too hopeful.

Ginny sighed and beckoned for them to follow her out of the Common Room. She led them to an empty classroom and then said, "This is not something to be discussed openly for anyone to hear." She sighed again, "But I suppose it is time I told someone."

Alistair nodded and gave her an understanding look, and Bianca gave her friend a supportive hug. Then they settled down to listen to what Ginny needed to say.

"There's not really all that much to tell. Until now everyone has believed that in my first year at Hogwarts, I found Tom Riddle's diary and he possessed me. But that's not entirely true. I desperately needed a friend that year, and Tom was much more than even that. He made me feel so special, so needed. Much like Shadow has done for me this time."

Alistair opened his mouth to protest, but Bianca shot him a warning look.

"So I fell in love with him. I did all of those horrible things because he told me to, and I listened to him. So he did possess me, in a way, but I was always in my right mind. It was only after Harry destroyed him that I saw how much he had really changed me. But I suppose it was only natural... he was my first love, my first lover. And now it has all happened to me again. I've fallen in love with the Prince of Slytherin." Ginny became silent. She was no longer crying, but Bianca could see the sadness in her eyes. She only wished that Ginny was about to meet a man that would take that sadness away.

Alistair hugged Ginny tightly, feeling sorry that he had been so hard on her. "Come on, let's get back to Gryffindor Tower."


	13. In the Room of Requirement

**In the Room of Requirement**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Harry Potter. But it's a working progress.

**A/N: **If this chapter seems to be a bit premature in the overall scheme of things... I'm sorry. I know I didn't include many of Shadow and Fire's conversations, and it may not seem like they should be... attached yet... but you'll have to assume that they had many more conversations than what I actually wrote. I'm also desperately hoping that Draco doesn't seem too ooc in this chapter.

………………………………

At 9:45 the next night, Ginny got up from her chair by the fire and gave her bracelet a nervous twirl around her wrist. Bianca and Alistair wished her luck, and she departed from the comfortable Common Room.

Slowly she walked towards the seventh floor, deep in thought. She wasn't even aware of Peeves' presence until she felt the cold as the Poltergeist flew through her. The red head spun around to see Peeves grinning wickedly at her. But when he spoke, it was in a quiet, if still aggravating voice. For some reason, Peeves was having mercy on her…

"Ah, young Ginevra is out of bed." Peeves shot himself off the wall and right up to Ginny's face. "Off to snog your snaky boyfriend, eh Firehead?"

"Peeves, how many times – Wait… how did you know?" Ginny asked, astonished.

"All pretty little girls sneak off to snog their pretty little boyfriends."

"No, not that. You said 'snaky'..."

"Oh yes, I know of all Slytherin-Gryffindor love affairs," Peeves said proudly.

"That's very... clever of you Peeves," Ginny said, trying to look impressed. She didn't want to change the rare mood the Poltergeist was in. "Do you also know where I was going when you stopped me?"

"Most Slytherins meet their girlfriends in the... music room?"

"Wrong. I didn't even know there was a music room," Ginny said, frowning. Fred and George had taught her everything they knew about the castle...

"There is now," Peeves remarked cryptically. "Then you must be headed to the Room of Requirement."

Ginny nodded and said, "So... may I go now, Peeves?"

Peeves loudly pretended to blow his nose, and Ginny cringed. "Little Ginny is so kind and respectful to her _superiors_." Peeves choked out a sob. "Respect is so rare these days... for that you deserve a good snog!"

Ginny smiled in spite of herself and said, "Thanks Peeves. But stop using that word - I despise it."

"What word? Respect?"

"No, the other one."

"Snog?"

"Yes!"

Ginny walked quickly away from Peeves, not wanting to be late for her meeting with Shadow. Peeves flew after her, whispering 'snog' over and over in her ear. Infuriating as the little man was, he helped calm her nerves all the way to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Peeves left her there, and she sighed in relief while also considering what she  
really needed from the magical room she was about to enter. Ginny made up her mind, and focused clearly on what she needed as she walked thrice past the wall.

……………………………  
  
Draco made it to the seventh floor without incident, and he knew what to do when he reached the wall outside of the Room of Requirement. _Give me a room that allows me to be who I am. Am I a person who could love a Gryffindor? Or am I truly just like my father, as everyone says I am? O Founders, give me a place where I can see the light of Fire. _The door appeared, and Draco quickly grasped the brass handle. He only had a few moments to explore the room before she would arrive.

The room was simple. There were a few tapestries; all were of green, red, silver, and gold. On closer inspection, these all showed images of a serpent and a lion. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all a grey color that seemed to shimmer. When Draco looked very closely at the wall, he saw that it was actually tiny dots of black and white. Astonished, he took a step back from the wall, and the grey color returned. Having seen everything in the small room, Draco sat down on the large hunter green couch, the sole piece of furniture in the room.

As he sat there, he began to be filled with a feeling of dread. How had he let himself fall in love? For that is what he had finally admitted to himself. The illustrious Dragon, known for seducing so many Slytherin girls, had fallen for a Gryffindor.

Fire had told him that she was of pure blood, but what if she was actually a half-blood? Or even a Mudblood? Lucius constantly told his son that blood was of the utmost importance in the Dark Order... but wasn't Voldemort himself a half-blood? What would it really matter if he loved someone of lesser blood? Well, he could never introduce her  
to Lucius, that's for sure.

Draco had always followed what Lucius believed, without giving any thought to developing a separate doctrine. The name Malfoy was his innate destiny, privileging, or condemning him to a life of the Dark Arts. The question now is if that was really what he wanted...

Draco was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening. He immediately stood up, and watched as a pale faced Ginny Weasley walked in. Ginny was kissing him before he had time for a reaction.

…………………………

Ginny knew immediately that he was a good kisser. Experienced. That's what he was. Not that she was inexperienced... she had kissed Tom, Michael, and Dean. And then there was that one kiss with Seamus. But Shadow's kisses couldn't be compared to any of them. His lips dominated hers, and left her little room to breathe. When they broke  
apart, he spoke first.

"Ginny," he led her to the couch while regarding her with an intense look. "So you're Dragon's Fire after all, eh?" he said, more to himself than to her. "You don't seem surprised to see me..."

"I'm not."

"How did you know that I was Shadow?"

"I have my spies..." Ginny said, giving him a wicked grin. Then suddenly she got very quiet.

Draco kissed her cheek and said, "What's on your mind?"

"Are you... mad that it's me?" Ginny asked quietly.

"What? My Fire is worried about impressing other people? You have just as much reason to be angry with me!"

"You _have _always been a bastard to my family and friends," Ginny said teasingly. Draco nodded agreement, and looked a bit remorseful. "But now that I know you," Ginny shot Draco a quick glance, "I have need of your... approval, I guess."

"I think you mean love," Draco said, sweetly kissing her again. "Approval and love are very different." Draco was now kissing her neck. "Which do you want from me?" Draco whispered in her ear as he kissed that part of her too.

Ginny was on fire, and she quite rightly showed him that it was love  
that she wanted.


	14. Dear Ginevra 4

**Dear Ginevra**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

_Dear Ginevra,_

_It finally seems like I'm living in a magical world! I have friends that I love, and it seems I've finally found love itself. Shadow- my second lover, my Prince Charming. Prince of… Slytherin… did I mention that? Yes, Shadow is Draco Malfoy. The royal bastard. The one I love. _

_I'm not sure how many people are going to call me crazy when they find out (because we will have to tell them eventually). But I myself don't feel like I'm making a bad choice. It feels right, it feels **good**._

_I've already thought of my response for when friends and family start to lecture me. It'll go something like this:_

"_When Draco leaves Hogwarts, the way he treats people is going to drastically change. You see, being in Slytherin automatically creates expectations. Bearing the name Malfoy creates even more, but also requires respect, civility, and class. Draco will soon stop his mistreatment of other people. Besides, he makes me happy! Don't you want to see me be happy?" _

_Well, that last part may sound a little whiney, but this is a very desperate situation. Thus the desperate measures! _

_It is impossible to express how I feel about Draco. And I may never understand what brought us together through our "mailboxes," but I think I'm learning to live without always questioning. Why waste time wondering why something wonderful happened? And yet… how could I not want to know? _

_On a very different note, I cannot wait until this weekend! We have our second Quidditch game against Slytherin. Also, we have a Hogsmeade trip. First I'm going to spend some time with Bianca and Alistair. This should give Bianca a chance to relax a little bit. She's been very stressed lately, getting more and more letters from her mum about the divorce. _

_Anyway, I finally got Bianca and Alistair to agree to meet Draco with me for lunch. Bianca agreed more readily than I expected, but she required that we wouldn't meet in a very public place. Alistair still hates Draco. And I can't really blame him for that. He finally agreed to lunch, but I don't think it was because of anything I said to convince him. I assume he fancies himself as our protector. Hopefully after having lunch, he'll see that Draco isn't a danger to me, and begin to trust him just a bit. Maybe. I love Draco, and I love my friends, and I want them to love… well… at least tolerate each other!_

_Well, that's all I have to say for now… and I see that Shadow is ready to talk. _

_Until I write again,_

_Ginny_


	15. Denouement

**Dénouement **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

"Good morning, sir," a twenty year old Ginny said, stepping out of Dumbledore's fireplace.

"Good morning to you, Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy," he added as Draco followed at Ginny's heels.

"You wanted to meet with us, sir?" Draco asked, bowing to his former Headmaster.

"Yes… I think it is time I filled you in on something you've been wondering for a long time."

Ginny glanced at Draco, who was glancing at her. They both sat down in front of Dumbledore's massive desk.

"A few years ago, when you were both still at Hogwarts, I believe you discovered something that… led you to be together."

Draco nodded, and Ginny moved closer to the edge of her seat.

"As you may know, the Order has recently been reading through some records we found in Death Eaters' possessions. I think it will be easer if I just let you read this." Dumbledore laid a yellowed roll of parchment in front of them. Draco carefully unrolled it, and Ginny dutifully held down her edge of the paper. They both leaned closer and began to read.

_Imminent birth of Draco Xavier Malfoy_

_(First son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black Malfoy)_

_Lucius' son will someday be an enormous part of Lord Voldemort's plans. But he will only be useful when intimately connected to another, yet to be conceived. To unite the last of the pureblood families under Lord Voldemort's power, Draco must unite with the first girl born into the Weasley clan in several generations. To this end, Lord Voldemort will offer a gift on the traditional gift-giving day. This gift will manifest itself in exactly fifteen years time._

Draco and Ginny looked up at about the same moment, sharing a look of bewilderment.

Dumbledore spoke first, "We have found no record like this specific to Ginny, but we can safely assume that Voldemort carried out this plan."

"The traditional gift-giving day is one day after a baby is born?" Draco asked.

"Yes, it has been done this way for centuries."

Ginny still sat silently, apparently finding something quite interesting on the ceiling.

"Sir, trust me when I say that I have forsaken my father and his beliefs," Draco said, looking earnestly into clear blue eyes.

"I trust you, Draco," Dumbledore placed a wrinkly hand on an elegant, pale one.

"Voldemort's scheme didn't work exactly as he planned."

"But you did find love," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Now go enjoy it. I just wanted you to know the truth."

"Thank you, sir. I think it will take us a while to fully digest."

"Quite understandable." Dumbledore stood, and Ginny and Draco mimicked. "Take care of yourselves."

"We will, sir," Draco bowed gracefully and picked up a handful of floo powder.

Ginny followed him. As she stepped into the fireplace she said, "Goodbye, Headmaster."

…………………………...

Ginny and Draco returned to the flat they shared, The Inglenook. Draco could technically afford a mansion, but they had chosen to share a small place together. Ginny went and collapsed onto the couch, while Draco walked towards the kitchen.

"Shall I cook something for our lunch with Alistair and Bianca?" he called to Ginny.

Silence. "Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco now stood in the doorway to the living room, looking a little concerned.

"Was I stupid to fall into Voldemort's trap?"

Draco was now at Ginny's side, ready to console her through any problems she might be having.

"I do love you, Draco. It just bothers me that I fell in love so easily, because of some plan of the Dark Lord's."

"And it happened to you twice, didn't it love?"

Ginny stared hard at Draco. "Yes, it did."

"Perhaps it was part of his master plan to instill in you a love of bad boys when you were twelve years old," Draco whispered in her ear.

"Poor little me," Ginny said softly. Draco was making her feel better already. He sweetly kissed her hand which he held in his own. Moved to her neck. Quickly found the corner of her mouth. Passionately kissed her lips.

Later that night, Ginny put a slip of paper that read _Voldemort _into what she had once called her Gratitude Box. A smile forced itself onto her face- she did appreciate irony in her life.

……………………………..

Look "Inglenook" up on the fan fiction dictionary if you're wondering.

**Final A/N:** I can't hardly believe it! I'm finally done. Of course, it didn't really turn out exactly how I expected it to… but I think I can live with it. I'll probably go back and edit the whole story sooner or later. Thanks again to all of my reviewers! I really could not have done it (or even wanted to) without you. If anyone actually does like my writing, keep me on your author alerts! I already have the beginning plans to my next fic…

--Echo


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